Turn XI: It's the end of the world as we know it Spring Thunder
By Mark van Doren
Listen, The wind is still, Come under the trembling hedge- (Tomb of the emperors)
And far away in the night -
See! The uplands fill
With a running light.
Fast, although you fumble...
There! Did you hear the edge
of winter crumble
A great salvo of bombardments from artillery pieces, Gun Ru's who where climbing from the backside of the mountain, the Panzer's long range cannons and the bombs from the warplanes above hit the tomb of the emperors.
"What are you all doing? The empress is here with us!" Xingke said to the high eunuchs.
"You don't understand don't you? Xingke, That's where all the Tianzi's in our history sleep forever." One of the eunuchs replied.
"In other words, a grave. We shall bury the current Tianzi" Another one added.
"We have already prepared a new Tianzi. A puppet that would be easier to attach to Prince Odysseus." A third one added.
"How dare you insult the empress!" Xingke said and charged out of the cave to attack them from the air, only to be checked by Gyno.
"You're the leader of the rebels aren't you?" Gyno said to him.
"Out of my way, Brittannia! This is my countries problem" Xingke said to him as they fought.
"On the international stage, they are your country's representatives. Also…..you were part of the task force that attacked Nunnally and Euphemia's transport, we still have unfinished business from back then." Gyno replied as he changed into fighter mode and fell back to regroup for another charge.
"Our aerial force is limited! Take them on with the preparedness of one-taking-an-a-thousand!" Todoh said to the Shiseiken and Kallen who went to support Xingke.
"Understood!" They all replied.
"Todoh Kyoshiro, shall be coming through!" he said as he unleashed his machine guns on the enemies air force destroying at least 40 to 50 of them.
"So they brought up their full aerial power." Gyno said as he was deadlocked with Xingke.
Anya then lowered her frame until it was near the ground.
"Mordred….don't tell me it's…!" Hong said to himself in panic.
"Annihilate….the rebel force…." Anya indifferently stated as she opened her body mounted cannons and fired upon his formation, most managed to step back and evade the blast, but some did not.
Bridge of the Avalon…..
A few minutes after the Battle's beginning the Sarmizegetusa arrived.
"It's good to see you Lelouch, I am glad you have finished your investigation so quickly" Schneizell said over the comm.'s
"Schneizell we must stop supporting the Eunuch's immediately!" Lelouch said and he transmitted the folders content and the video confession he recorded, and after viewing both of them Schneizell for the first time in his life had his eye's go wide in shock.
"To think…..to think such human garbage really exists!" he said out loud.
"But if that's the case then what is our net move?" Lloyd said from the bridge of the Avalon.
"If we support the Eunuch's we fall into their plan." Cannon replied.
"What we need now is chaos in the Federation so we can focus on the E.U, and the only way to do that….." Lelouch trailed off.
"…I agree would be to see that Xingke wins this battle." Schneizell added.
(Ikaruga)
"Stop this, just stop this fight already! "Tianzi having had enough of the battle said as she rushed out on top of the Ikaruga's bridge screaming to the participants.
Xingke saw this and he quickly dived down to shield
her with his flail arms shields, and just in time, cause a moment after that a furious bombardment from the High Eunuchs began.
"Tianzi-sama…..forgive me…I couldn't free you….but I will protect you with my life…." Xingke said to her, forgetting the fact that he was also on an open channel as well as the speakers.
"Xingke!...I don't want you to die Xingke." Tianzi screamed as tears streamed down her cheeks'.
"I can't even protect her….someone please…. Anybody..i don't care if God or the devil himself comes…just someone help her!" Xingke roared over the channels as the massive volley from the Eunuch's army was targeted at him.
But after the impact and the dust cleared Xingke was not destroyed, and he looked up to see who it was that sheltered him, and what he saw shocked him…it was the Colgrevance .
"Please allow me to introduce myself…I am a man of wealth and taste." Lelouch said over an open channel to those present.
"Hey, that's Zero's frame!" Todoh stated.
"Lelouch came to the frontlines!" Kallen added surprised.
Just then a message was heard on the command pyramids speakers, since Lelouch refused their hailing frequencies.
"What are you doing your highness?" One of the Eunuchs said to him.
"What am I doing? I will tell you what am I doing, I am boiling with anger at you're attempt to con us!" He angrily spat out at the Eunuchs, which caused them to panic since they were certain that they took all the necessary precautions to hide their plan.
"Wha….what are you saying your highness? We have been sincere in our desire to unite with Brittannia!" the chief eunuch said as he was now sweating heavily.
"I am referring to this!" Lelouch replied and using his druid system created a massive cinema screen and started playing the video confession he recorded with the chairman of the Federation's parliament.
"After the military disaster of both Kyushu invasions, and the great cost of the Indian Campaign, the Federation is bankrupt, there is enough money in the eunuch's private accounts to help stabilize it, but they refused to use it, so in order to avoid bankruptcy they decided to accept Schneizell's proposal to unify with Brittannia so they would pay the Federations debts', Europe once hearing of this decided to support it since through this Union, China would become unstable since most of the population hates Brittannia and the Empire would become bankrupt, therefore in the long run both China and Brittannia would fall and the E.U would rise, and to make sure that fall would occur, they gave 5 billion pounds bribe to the Eunuchs to fund their armies in case someone gave them trouble during the wedding." The chairman said and the transmission ended.
At this everyone was shocked to find out just how great human trash the Eunuch's really are, just then the Eunuch's got report from the major cities of the Federation signaling that riots had broken out in them, Lelouch had broadcasted the statement globally half an hour ago before his arrival.
(Eunuchs command pyramid)
"W…wait you highness..we…we can explain"
"Explain what? How you sucked this land dry just to fill your pockets? How you would rather see this country bankrupt and starving than use the money you stole to help it? How you lied to us and tried to destroy us so the E.U can mop both of our nations up?" Lelouch angrily said over his own speakers which left the Eunuch's speechless.
He then turned around and kneeled before Xingke and his frame.
"Xingke, can the Shen Hu still move?" Lelouch asked.
"What of it Zero?" he angrily spat out at him.
Just then Lelouch pulled out a spare energy filler from his right arm.
"An energy filler?" Xingke said taken off guard.
"Xingke… Todoh..and all of the Slayers, I will attack the enemy army…what will you all do?" Lelouch asked.
"What? Did he just say he is going to fight alongside us!" Tamaki said out loud with astonishment.
"Very well Zero..I will allow you to be my wingman this time..but do not die..You're head belongs to me!" Xingke jokingly said and he took and loaded the energy filler.
"Fine by me if you go in front….I couldn't have asked for a better shield myself" Lelouch jokingly replied and both of them fired their chest cannons at the Eunuch's army and the charged it.
(Eunuch's pyramid)
The high eunuchs watched with horror as Xingke from the front and the Black Knights with Schneizell and the Rounds from the rear and flanks decimated their army and the E.U task froce.
*BANG*
A loud noise was heard and Xingke and his Shen Hu smashed into the command pyramid.
"This is it for you Eunuch's!" Xingke stated as he drew out his sword and cut each of them one by one.
(A few hours later…..)
Lelouch and his lieutenants where outside the Avalon, Xingke and Schneizell where inside negotiating what to do from here on .
Lelouch decided to stay outside, he was now mentally planning how to destroy the Geass cult since, from his investigations he was sure it was in the Federation, and with the chaos it was going through he doubted that they would notice his 'snooping' so to speak and even if they did they would have other problems on they're hands.
He knew that first he had to destroy the OSI he had on his tail.
Just then Todoh along with the other Slayers walked up to them, but before Todoh could say anything he saw that Lelouch was trying to restrain his laughter and he shared what he thought so funny with his lieutenants and they were all now trying to contain their laughter.
"What is so funny?" Todoh asked very annoyed thinking they were mocking him.
"Well Colonel ….let me put it to you this way" Lelouch said from time to time clasping his mouth to retain his laughter.
"You, Kallen and the Shiseiken are all wearing uniform which are of different color and enhance your capabilities right?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes, that's right." Todoh replied still annoyed.
"All of you pilot giant robots right?" Lelouch added
"Yes that's right." Todoh replied starting to get angry.
"And all of you fight against what you perceive to be evil, right?" Lelouch said and clasped his mouth to try to retain his laughter which by now looked like he was about to fail.
"YES THAT'S RIGHT, NOW CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS SO FUNNY?" Todoh angrily shouted out at him.
"Well…with the colors…power suits…and robots….YOU'RE THE POWER RANGER, BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA" Lelouch replied and laughed wholeheartedly, his subordinates joining him.
Todoh upon hearing this looked at his clothes and his comrade's clothes and his anger turned to embarrassment as he realized Lelouch was right, the other Slayers were also equally embarrassed.
"BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA…let me ask you Colonel…. Rita she really isn't such a bitch like she's made out to be, is she? BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA" Bradley said to him and another round of laughter came from Lelouch and his men.
"T..Todoh" Jeremiah said between chuckle" You know when you hit the Siegfried making me plummet down to the depths of the Ocean?... AFTER TODAY ALL IS FORGIVEN! BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA" Jeremiah said to him.
"Now I know why you kept slipping through our fingers, you had Zordon to help you." Patton added
BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA another round of laughter came from the men, even some of the Slayers laughed at that one.
"Stop this! I have a serious question!" Lelouch said and the laughter died out, and with a serious face he walked up to Todoh and said.
"So what happened to your Zords? Did you forget to dry clean them and they shrank in the laundry?" Lelouch asked and at that last comment another round of laughter began pouring out , not just from the Black Knights, but from the Slayers as well, Todoh initially embarrassed by the situation eventually let go off it an joined them laughing.
A few moments latter Xingke along with Schneizell emerged from the Avalon.
"We have finished our negotiations; in exchange for denouncing the E.U, and to stop supporting them you and your armies will leave the federation immediately, the wedding however will not take place." Xingke said to those gathered.
"What of my subordinates General Nu?" Lelouch asked.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Schneizell added as a helicopter appeared from the horizon and after landing Viletta made her way out and was embraced by her fellow Black Knights.
"Did Schneizell really accept to leave so easily?" Ohgi asked Xingke.
"Currently Brittannia is viewed by the world as being the victim in the E.U and the eunuch ploy, our own country is now divided with anti and pro eunuch forces, the most profitable thing for him to do is just leave and let us shoot at each other, since if he stayed we would be united against a common threat." Xingke replied.
"What do you think will happen with the E.U?" Todoh asked him.
"I don't know for certain, but for their sake I am glad that Lelouch's army will not be going anywhere soon." Xingke replied.
"Why is that?" Ohgi asked.
"Because Schneizell said to me that Lelouch told him that if he ever got on E.U soil.. he would make them how" Xingke replied.
Just then Lelouch was washing by a river and was still smiling from the joke, how anyone could one have the face of an angel and at the same time be as scary as the devil puzzled Ohgi.
Xingke knew that is was difficult but not impossible, after all a great general was looked by his soldiers as an angel and by his enemies the devil.
Between Xingke and Lelouch which one was the more merciful angel, and which was the more crueler devil was something not yet decided…not yet at least.
Meanwhile….
Lelouch was by a nearby river splashing water onto his face when Kallen came up to him.
She did not know what to say and for a moment both just stared at each other, until he broke the silence.
"Take care of yourself Kallen." He said and he walked away to his ship.
Kallen watched him leave her mind now a mixture of emotions she could not describe, some of relief that they didn't make a scene, some of regret that he left.
(Lelouch's quarters, Sarmizegetusa)
"What do we do now?" Odysseus asked Lelouch.
"Well, we are going back to Japan, so I suggest you all get some rest after today, oh Suzaku Jeremiah, please stay I need help with these reports and C.C is just t o lazy to do so." He said and they replied.
"Listen up guys…we have problems" Lelouch said to them after the door became shut.
"Another list my liege?" Jeremiah said, to Suzaku's confusion.
"Something like that..it occurs to me that my father has the OSI watching me, I have located spies in my school, house staff ,the government building, even among my own ranks of Black Knights." Lelouch said and he showed them the names of those he managed to detect.
"Why would the emperor do such a thing?" Suzaku said to him.
"I don't know" he said lying through his teeth " But in this kind of situation it's better we disable them, this is my plan, we will kill them and we will continue to send dummy reports to the emperor, I will take care of those in Japan, the two of you take care of those in the Black knights, they are still in West Bengal waiting for the order to ship out, so tonight I want you to organize a party and kill the following." he gave them a letter which contained their names and pictures.
"But won't they notice your absence?" Jeremiah said to him.
"Whose absence? Mine?...Or his?" he said as a masked figure wearing the Zero mask entered the room.
The figure then took of its mask to reveal Sayoko.
"I summoned Sayoko after the battle ended and she just arrived, she will act as my double, you're jobs Jeremiah and Suzaku will be to make sure that the others do not discover this." Lelouch told them.
"Wouldn't be easier to let Kewell, Viletta and the others in on the whole thing?" Suzaku asked.
"No, since it would mean a change in their usual day to day behavior, you Suzaku are always with me since you are my unofficial bodyguard and so are you Jeremiah since you are my second in command, to have one's bodyguard and second besides him all time is normal, however up until now I did not have the others besides me all the time, so a change in that would be seen as odd by the agents who infiltrated our ranks." Lelouch replied and they understood.
"What if Sayoko needs to take of the mask?" Jeremiah asked.
"That is not a problem!" Sayoko said and opened a briefcase which contained a mask off Lelouch's face.
The three of them saluted and then they went to start the charade.
With that in order Lelouch prepared to go back to Japan and make it 'pest free' so to speak.
"You do realize that when he finds out it will be considered treason?" C.C asked him.
At this Lelouch turned to her, grabbed her by the shirt pulled her up to him, kissed her and after breaking the kiss whispered in her ear:
"I have never once betrayed him….nor will I ever….for I never given and will never give my allegiance to him" he said and he then nibbled her earlobe.
C.C despite being no stranger to sex, was much to her embarrassment reactioning to his teasing.
"This is stupid….I am getting wet over just a simple kiss and nibble…..but how long has it been since I was with a man…" she said to herself as she gasped in pleasure as Lelouch started kissing her neck.
To Lelouch's surprise she was responding positively to his advances, C.C had the habit of annoying him and teasing him, so he decided to give her a taste of her own medicine and to his surprise she actually liked its taste…..
(Tokyo, Stadfelt manner)
James Stadfelt was sitting at his desk and to be honest he was miserable, he could not even think about a moment in time where he had ever been more miserable than now.
He wondered when he had ever been happy…oh yes, that was before the war.
Back then he was married to a woman he loved, he had children which loved him, he'll he knew that one day his family might find out so he purchased a small house in the country, he transferred what to nobles could be considered small amount of money, several million pounds into hundreds of small accounts under fake names, he had everything prepared.
Then the war came and Japan was conquered, no longer a threat and rival to Brittannia, and with that change which affected the world so too did it affect his own life.
One day his father came to him and said the following:
"This baroness is who you will marry, the woman you are currently married to you will divorce immediately, if you run away know this all of your 'secret' bank accounts have been frozen, I will sent bad recommendations to every company great and small, by the time I am finished with you the only means for money you will be able to have will be begin on the streets if you defy me."
And that was when the continues torture called married life began, his first wife Nodoka….she actually understood and didn't oppose it, she was thinking of her children and she knew from the start that this might be where there relationship might end.
So they divorced, he however still paid them great amounts of money to support them, it was like any other man with a divorced wife paying her alimony.
So he divorced and married that woman, it wasn't as though he didn't try being a good husband to her, it was just that she wasn't his type, they where incompatible plain and simple.
Then his son in anger and frustration at the world decided to become a rebel guerilla fighter, he was not angry with his son, but afraid that he might get killed, but since he was his son and he couldn't stop him he might as well help him, he was their secret sponsor, Naoto never really did tell them where the weapons, money and even that Old Glasgow came from, and he used what influence the Stadfelt had to watch his back so to speak.
Then Naoto died, he could not remember crying more, drinking more or contemplating suicide more than on that day…..he thought he hit rock bottom….until tests showed that his second wife Bridget was infertile so his father decided that since Kallen looked more Brittannia than Japanese she should be adopted as the heir to the Stadfelt fortune….Nodoka still suffering from the loss of her son begged him to let her stay with Kallen, he still remembered that day and what she said to him:
"I don't care how I will be treated in this house, I don't care if Kallen hates me, all I want to do is be near here…..Please James…..she's all I have left" his former wife said bursting into tears.
Those final five words to him was like being struck by lightning, at that plea all he could do was agree,
Following that when he discovered that she was in a rehab clinic for refrain he wanted to visit her, but once he was there he saw Kallen doing the same thing, and the sight of the two of them so happy made him realize that they were happy without him, so he decided not to enter their world, he had done enough harm to them already.
He remembered that after that he discovered that while he was returning home from a business trip, he without being detected saw that Bridget used the times when he was away to have affairs, but at that point to him it didn't matter, the women he loved was gone, he was married to a harpy, his son was dead, his daughter hated him and like her brother joined the resistance.
And the crushing reality came bearing upon him:
Everyone was more happy in his absence than in his presence, Bridget could conduct her affairs in peace, Kallen could be with the Slayers as much as she wanted to be, Nodoka seemed to be doing fine without him…..the only thing he had left was work so he dedicated himself to it, coming home as rarely as possible.
Then what got him into this miserable state of being struck him just a few moments ago, it was the Stadfelt name the reason he was forced to divorce Nodoka, the Stadfelt name forced him to marry Bridget, the Stadfelt name that was the reason directly or indirectly that caused Nodoka to use Refrain, and the Stadfelt name which drove Kallen into hating him and Naoto's death, and for these past years he had worked hard to give that name even more power and even more influence.
That was the breaking point for him, and he looked to what he was holding in his hands…..it was a revolver.
He now moved the revolver to his head and cocked the gun, he was about to pull the trigger, when all of a sudden the phone rang.
He didn't know why but after a moment of pondering he answered the phone, while he still had the revolver pointed at his head.
"Hello?" James said into the phone.
"Mister Stadfelt, this is Field Marshall Lelouch vi Brittannia" Lelouch on the other line said.
"Your highness!" James said, despite what you may think of him he like all Brittannian's knew how to respect royalty.
"At ease mister Stadfelt, I came here to make you an offer." Lelouch said.
"An offer?" James said to him while he thought to himself." Well at least he will get a bang out of my answer"
"Yes, you are aware of Black Corporation which I own?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes sir." He replied.
"Up until know I managed it in my free time, but it has become too great for me with my extra responsibilities to focus my full time on it as it would be proper so I someone who is capable to manage it, I am asking you this since you're real-estate branch which you manage has shown impressive numbers and I would like to recruit you for my Black Corporation as its President." Lelouch replied.
"My lord I have only one question to ask." James said as this was the make or break to him.
"As your Company Black Corporation grows will it eventually come into conflict with the Stadfelt Corporation?" James asked.
"Sooner or later everything that is old comes into conflict with what is new." Lelouch replied diplomatically, he expected that the man would refuse him, like the other capable nobles he had phoned earlier.
"In that case I will do it." James replied happily which cut Lelouch off guard and he put the gun down.
"Very well, then you may start next week." Lelouch replied and hung up the phone, Lelouch then switched with Sayoko and prepared to journey to Japan.
He then happily looked at his blue tuxedo and realized that since he was turning over allegiance to the Black Knights he would have to look the part, he summoned his tailor to make him a black business suit version of the Black knight's uniform, completed with an armband.
James was at the moment ecstatic; he had been a secret supporter of the Phoenix Fund, Black Knights and Black Corporation since day one, since he wanted a country free of the discriminations which plagued it.
And this offer was like a dream come true, he would fight against injustice , get back at his father, destroy his hated family name, also he had the prospect of reconciliation if not with Nodoka than at least with Kallen, and above all that since his new master was a Prince in was patriotic work.
"All Hail Lelouch!" he said to himself as he threw away the gun in the trash bin.
And this was the moment in which unknown to anyone at the present, would be the first day of the new age for Brittannia, combined with what happened in China a few hours ago from this moment onward the New Era would begin, more soldiers would swore their allegiance to Lelouch, more companies would be owned by him, his popularity among the common people both Numbers and citizens would only continue to rise.
Historians called it the day the old world started to fade and the new world started to shine.
The day was fast approaching when the oath Lelouch made before the world at Kawaguchi would arrive.
''''
It would have been easy to kill them all, but my purpose is to bring justice to Japan and not revenge and retribution!
The various politicians and business men I arrested some time ago was also for this same reason, they're corruption, and indifference to the sufferings of the Japanese people have turned them into monsters, whose only belief is money, therefore I have punished them! And have locked them in our deepest darkest dungeon, where they will never see the light out day again, I do not wish to fight, but I cannot stand by and watch as the innocent suffer under the guilty, the corrupt steals the bread of the just'
"Only those who are prepared to be killed should have the right to kill!"
"Those who are evil fear us!"
"Those who are weak seek us!"
"The Black Knights will bring justice to this world!"
Father ! Here before the world, and before you I pledge to you that the corrupt will be brought to justice, the wicked will be punished, and as long as I breathe never again those who are innocent will suffer under those who are evil"
THY KINGDOM COME!"
'''''
The day when God's kingdom would arrive was perhaps years, centuries or even millennia's away, but the day in which Lelouch's kingdom would come was unknown to anyone rapidly approaching.
Author note
Read and review, let me know if I should continue